The present invention relates to a cover for a chassis control arm which includes at least one bearing mount for a control arm bearing, with the cover, which is formed separately from the chassis control arm, covering in the installed state at least part of the underside of the chassis control arm, and to a motor vehicle with at least one chassis control arm upon which such a cover is arranged.
Such covers are arranged in vehicle construction on chassis control arms, also called wishbone or simply control arm, in order to achieve, inter alia, a better flow around the underbody in the region of the wheel suspension and to ensure a protection against impact from rocks. The wheel suspension connects the wheel to the body and guides it in certain degrees of freedom. Chassis control arms can be made from formed (steel) sheets or (formed) extruded profiles, for example an extruded aluminum profile. The chassis control arm has terminal bearing mounts for placement of a control arm bearing, preferably designed as a rubber-metal bearing. Depending on the embodiment, the bearing mounts can be formed from two concentric bores in two parallel side webs of the chassis control arm or from a guide sleeve into which the control arm bearing, constructed as rubber-metal sleeve bearing, is press-fitted, and which are welded thereto depending on the design of the chassis control arm, or held in one or more bores in the side webs of the chassis control arm, or formed integrally from the material of the chassis control arm by using a forming process. Depending on the geometry of the control arm, the wheel-side control arm mount may represent the lowest lying point in the installed state. When driving over obstacles, there is a risk that the bearing mount hits the ground and as a result the bearing mount and/or the control arm bearing becomes damaged.
EP 2435288 A1 shows a cover on a wheel guide element of a rear axle of a motor vehicle, which wheel guide element extends substantially transverse to the travel direction, with the cover substantially extending horizontally in its installed position on the motor vehicle and being divided into a section anteriorly of the rear axle and a section behind the rear axle, with both sections extending at different angles in relation to a horizontal plane and directed upwards, starting from its transition region.
EP 2476565 A1 describes an air deflecting cover mountable to a wheel suspension device of a vehicle for straightening an air flow beneath the vehicle, with the air deflecting cover including an inner cover section mountable to a wheel suspension element of the wheel suspension device and extending in a width direction of the vehicle. The inner cover section has a vertical flow straightening surface which extends in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle and faces towards a widthwise center portion of the vehicle. The air deflecting cover further includes a lower cover section which is mountable to a bottom part of the wheel suspension element and has a flow straightening surface which points downwards from the vehicle. The inner cover section and the lower cover section are integrally formed with each other, with the lower cover section being a bottom plate element which is located below an end of the wheel suspension element, and with the inner cover section being an inner plate element. The inner plate element extends hereby upwardly from an inner edge of the bottom plate element, which is directed in the direction of the central region with respect to the width direction of the vehicle.
The mentioned documents do not provide additional protection for a bearing mount of the chassis control arm, so that it can be expected that traveling over obstacles has an adverse effect on the sensitive bearing mount.
DE 10 2007 046 150 A1 discloses a device for protecting components of a vehicle underside of a truck with at least one protective element, on which the truck is supported in an emergency, with the protective element being formed as part of a component (bearing shell) of an axle suspension of a vehicle axle of the truck. However, this protection element is not suitable as cover of the type involved here for a chassis control arm.